A diagram of the interior of Audi's S-Tronic dual-clutch transmission.

Until recently, the term dual-clutch transmission, or DCT, was something only familiar to those who spend a considerable amount of time on the racetrack or in high-performance cars. However, as this alternative method of shifting gears steadily makes its way into more and more consumer vehicles, many buyers are eager to learn about this unfamiliar technology and if they should consider purchasing a car equipped with it.

In most modern cars, a DCT will take the place of an automatic transmission, yet it’s safe to say they have more in common with manual gearboxes. From the name it’s easy to infer that it features two clutches, but to actually understand how it works, you first need to understand what happens when you shift gears while driving both a stick shift and an automatic car.

To change gears with a manual transmission, drivers must depress a third pedal that controls the vehicle’s clutch, the mechanical device connecting the car’s engine to the gearbox. By doing so, the driver temporarily disconnects the engine from the transmission during which time the driver is able to shift gears up or down using the gearstick.

The 2018 Tucson is available with Hyundai's well known EcoShift dual-clutch transmission.

An automatic transmission, on the other hand, replaces the clutch with a torque converter, a fluid coupling that connects the engine to the gearbox. Pressurized hydraulic fluid is used to lock and unlock a single set of planetary gears in order to change gear ratios, as opposed to a manual transmission that requires mechanically shifting between gears to change ratios. As the name implies, shifting occurs automatically with the amount of pressurization depending on how hard the engine is being forced to work. Valves inside the transmission respond to different ranges of pressure and influence which gears are engaged.

A dual-clutch transmission doesn’t make use of a torque converter, but also doesn’t require a clutch pedal. Essentially it’s a set of twin gearboxes, or two clutches, that are controlled by a series of computers, solenoids and hydraulics. One clutch is connected to the even gear sets and the other to the odd numbers. As a result, the transmission never has a need to detach from the engine. The computer simply analyzes which gear you will need next and has that gear preselected for you to switch to. A DCT can function like an automatic transmission, switching gears on its own, or can be manually operated through the use of paddle shifters, buttons, or the vehicle’s actual shifter.

So are there benefits to opting for a car with a DCT? Several actually. In addition to smoother, lightning fast upshifts due to never having to be disconnected from the powertrain, DCT’s can also improve fuel economy. Without an inefficient torque convertor, the engine doesn’t burn through fuel as well as not having to disrupt to the flow of power to the engine.

In the past, DCT's were strictly found on high-performance vehicles like Nissan's GT-R due to their capability of lightning-fast shifting.

While dual-clutch transmissions have had a place in pricey European sports models for decades now, automakers like Ford, Honda, Volkswagen, and Hyundai have recently begun incorporating them into mainstream consumer vehicles. Despite defective systems like Ford’s faulty Powershift gearbox and the highly complained about DCT in Acura’s 2015 TLX, brands like VW and Audi have nearly perfected the technology. However, as engineers continue to improve conventional automatic transmissions, releasing nine- and ten-speed systems that seemingly squash any shifting and efficiency woes, the future of DCTs, at least in the U.S., appears uncertain.

As far as whether you should purchase a car with a dual-clutch transmission, the answer is that it all depends on the car as well as the driver. If a model you’re considering has the option and you’re willing to foot the bill, give it a try. You may find it to be so unfamiliar that it’s distracting or you may be so enthralled you’re unable to imagine ever having to go back to a traditional stick shift or automatic.

And as manual transmissions slowly fade away in even some of the most sought-after, high-performance models available, a DCT may be the solution for those still craving that indescribably exciting driver-car interaction.